AC Milan vs Salzburg

A day of reckoning in a highly competitive Champions League Group E pits AC Milan and RB Salzburg against each other in a ‘winner takes all’ showdown at the Stadio San Siro.

Last week’s eye-catching 4-0 humbling of Group E minnows Dinamo Zagreb fired Milan to the second place, one point clear of third-placed Salzburg, ahead of this shootout to secure a knockout berth. Keen to reach the Champions League round of 16 for the first time since 2013/14, ‘I Rossoneri’ will be out to string together back-to-back victories in the competition for the first time since 2011. Yet an underwhelming 2-1 league defeat to perennial Serie A mid-table strugglers Torino at the weekend may have doused the optimism in Stefano Pioli’s corner. Adding to this sentiment, Milan’s topsy-turvy form across their last four competitive home outings (W2, L2) is unlikely to inspire much confidence. But an impressive 12-game record against Austrian sides in major European competitions (W8, D3, L1) may do the trick.

On the other hand, visiting Salzburg bounced back from a morale-damaging 2-1 home loss to Chelsea last week by overcoming Hartberg 1-0 at the weekend to retain a two-point cushion at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga standings. Despite going winless on their last six Champions League road trips (D3, L3), Matthias Jaissle’s team will show up in a confident mood on the back of a resounding nine-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (W7, D2). That should inspire Salzburg’s bid to defy a three-game winless European record against Milan (D1, L2) and consolidate their hopes of advancing to the Champions League knockouts for the second season on the spin. Delivering action from the get-go, ‘Die Roten Bullen’ have opened the scoring within 15 minutes in their last three competitive outings, something that could come in handy.